Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking
by Apollo199199
Summary: Who knew? Bryce Larkin’s death was only the beginning of things to come…
1. The Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO CHUCK EXCEPT CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION.**

**TITLE:** Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking

**SUMMARY:** Who knew? Bryce Larkin's death was only the beginning of things to come…

* * *

As Bryce Larkin laid slumped against the white walls of the Intersect room, sharp blue eyes trained on one Chuck Bartowski and his breathing becoming harsher with each second as he could feel life leaving him, he thought about the ones who mattered in his life. He thought about his parents and family, he thought about Sarah and her courage and strength, about Chuck and his ever lasting compassion. And as the light faded from his eyes, the last image he ever saw was the bright smile of a young boy with blue eyes just like his waving at him. And then…Bryce Larkin knew no more…

* * *

"_Guys, I know Kung Fu…"_

Sarah Walker and John Casey have never been stunned as they are now. Chuck Bartowski, bumbling funny Chuck doing Kung Fu? It's no wonder Sarah looked like she had just seen a ghost. Heck, even Chuck himself felt like freaking out right about now. It had never occurred to him that the new Intersect somehow had given him new abilities, he had just assumed it was the same old thing!

So the three of them stood there and continued to stare at each other in silence before Casey broke the serenity by moving to cuff the bad guys. How he even had handcuffs, Chuck didn't bother to ask nor did he need to know. Turning to look at Sarah, Chuck frowned as he became concerned with her silence. No, Sarah was normally not like this. But before he could ask her anything, Sarah made a beeline for the door and raced out. Chuck blinked in surprise before making his way to follow her.

But as he came to the outside hallway, the scene that greeted him nearly sent him to tears.

Sarah was on her knees as she leaned over Bryce's body, obvious tears in her eyes as her hand gently made to touch his face. And Bryce, his old college best buddy turned nemesis turned friend, just laid there motionless on the ground. The blue eyes once filled with spark and sometimes mischief were now glassy and dead. Chuck felt bile rising in his throat, suddenly the thought of Bryce being dead, watching him die, and now seeing his body just lying on the ground, it made Chuck sick and nauseated. He and Bryce were just starting to find faith in each other again, back to being close friends, and now one bullet had cruelly taken all that away, this time forever. After everything Bryce had risked, he didn't deserve to die. He was too young, heck, they were all too young.

Slowly walking up to Sarah and Bryce's body, Chuck got down to his knees next to Sarah and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling and shaking. He could understand her pain of losing a loved one. And he knew that just like her, he too felt enraged and angered at the people who took Bryce's life. For the first time in Chuck's life, he felt a flash of hatred, hatred at the people, at this Ring group, that hadn't blinked an eye when they killed Bryce. He had never really thought about revenge, but now he understood those who wanted it, because he, Charles Irving Bartowski, wanted revenge for the death of his friend.

* * *

_"Don't you touch him!"_

She had screamed that when she saw them dragging Bryce's body outside, she had prayed against all odds that he was just simply unconscious, but his stillness and those dead eyes told Sarah everything. Bryce was gone and these people, these spies, had taken away one of the few people Sarah had ever come to trust in her life.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she stared down at Bryce's beautiful face. He was her first true love, he was the first person she ever felt safe with, and she always knew that he would come through for her. Somehow this second death was worse than the first. At least the last time she could make herself think about how Bryce had betrayed her and the country, that he was just another traitor. But now, now it was not so simple. Bryce had been the hero this time, risking everything to protect Chuck and the Intersect. He was even willing to walk away when she had chosen to stay with Chuck at Burbank. Sarah felt guilty, if she had just gone with him, if she hadn't stayed, maybe Bryce would still be alive. In her mind Sarah knows that she couldn't possibly control fate, but she felt like she had let Bryce down.

Gently reaching out to touch his face, Sarah traced his features for a while before laying her hand over his eyes and closed them. Then she leaned down close to Bryce and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She had always known that one day she and Bryce would die on the field, their job came with the risks, but faced with the moment, Sarah couldn't help but wish that it never happened. She never wanted to loose Bryce. Never.

She knew Chuck had appeared next to her and felt the hand had been on her shoulder. She didn't say anything though, what would there need be said? They both cared about Bryce, both were close to him. No word was needed to explain their common grief and loss. But still, Sarah took comfort in Chuck's reassurance, knowing that somebody understood her.

* * *

John Casey knew exactly where Bartowski and Walker had run off to, so when he came out to the hallway after making the call for a clean-up team, he was no where surprised to see both of them kneeling over Larkin's body. He stood off to the side, giving the other two some privacy as they grieved over the loss of Larkin, after all, he understood how close they were to Larkin, losing the now dead CIA agent had to have hurt.

Casey had to admit that even he felt a slight pang of sadness at Larkin's death. Sure he and Larkin had never gotten along. The kid was a smart alec and had too much arrogance and attitude for his own good. And between the NSA-CIA rivalry and the fact that Casey had been the one to shoot him the first time around, the two of them never really saw eye to eye on much of anything, except maybe protecting Chuck. Casey had to give Larkin credit for looking out for Bartowski, if anything, Larkin had come through when they had needed him, the kid was reliable in a crisis, and at a time like this, they could sure use Larkin's considerable knowledge. He may not have liked Larkin, the kid was a pain in the ass, but he sure as hell didn't want him to be dead.

Sounds of echoing footsteps reached Casey's ears as he turned and saw a clean-up team arrive. Giving them a signal to be stop and be quiet, Casey decided that he would give Walker and Bartowski a little more time to say their goodbyes to Larkin, the kid at least deserves that much.

* * *

_Somewhere in a secret base…_

A teenage boy sat up on his bed with a gasp. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, clearly because of what seems to be a nightmare. Before he could even process what had happened in his dreams, alarms suddenly blared loudly. The teenager jumped out of bed and raced for what looked like video monitors to see many men dressed in black and decked out with guns and many other weapons.

Without missing a beat, the teen dressed himself in record time as he could hear explosions as the gunmen tried to break down the entrance. Stuffing a bunch of computer chips and files into a ready sack, the kid's fingers then gracefully flew over the keyboard.

"Alert Level Five, Protocol Activated" A computerized voice stated loud and clear.

With everything all ready, the kid slipped into a secret passage that led to outside where a motorcycle was waiting for him. As he reached the bike, he turned back and gave one last look before getting on the bike and race away. He was needed in Burbank, he had made a promise.

As the motorbike left the premises in a hurry, an explosion ripped throughout the secret base.

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

Who is the mysterious child? What is happening? Wanna know? Then please review and all the secrets will soon be revealed!!!


	2. Last Goodbye

**DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO CHUCK EXCEPT CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION.**

**TITLE:** Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking

**SUMMARY:** Who knew? Bryce Larkin's death was only the beginning of things to come…

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This series will be AU season 3 of Chuck, some canon storylines will stay the same, but others will be changed. This chapter is set right after the season 2 finale.

* * *

Sarah Walker's tear-filled eyes lifted their gaze upon detection of the arrival of a clean-up team. She knew she should let them take Bryce, but she couldn't let go. She didn't want Bryce to be all alone, taken away to some anonymous grave. She knew it was protocol, because Bryce had already died once, had a funeral once, that he could never have it a second time. But Bryce deserved better, he deserved a proper goodbye from the people who loved him. Last time he had gone out as a traitor, but this time she knew, he was the hero, an unsung hero whose good deeds no one would ever know.

"I'm sorry Bryce…" Sarah whispered as her hand gently ran through Bryce's soft dark hair, "I'm gonna fix this, I promise Bryce. I will find the people behind all this and I will take them down."

Taking in a deep breath, she leaned down close to his ear and spoke again quietly so that no one else can hear, "Thank you for what you did…I love you…"

With that, Sarah nodded towards the clean-up team as she stood up and stepped back, allowing the team to do their job.

* * *

"

Chuck was never good at handling death, this time was made even worse that it was the death of a friend. He didn't know what to say. What do you say to the man who turned your life upside down twice yet somehow always looked out for you? Goodbye just seems so final and Chuck wasn't even sure if this moment had been entirely processed yet by his jumped up brain. He still has a hard time believing this was happening. Bryce Larkin, super spy extrodinaire, dead. That simple 4 letter word just doesn't synch up with the image Chuck has of Bryce. Cool awesome Bryce who always seem to save the day.

He listened to Sarah's voice as she spoke but quickly found himself turning away. No, whatever she said, it was between her and Bryce, he would respect their privacy.

Looking up, he saw a team standing by, waiting, and he saw Casey also standing off to the side. It just felt rather surreal. Bryce was gone, this was over, and Bryce could never come back. And it hit him, that sudden flood of sadness as he looked back on all the fond memories of Bryce and himself in college. They had so much fun then, so much laughter, and life had been so easy. They thought they had all the time in the world, they never knew what dark future had laid ahead for them. Chuck wished he could go back, just go back to those fun moments again and stay there. He wished those moments had never ended.

Noticing the team moving in to take Bryce and that Sarah had already stood up. Chuck turned back to Bryce, placing his hand on Bryce's shoulder, it was his time to say something so he did, in the foreign alien tongue that had become the symbol of his and Bryce's bond.

"Qapla' loDnl'"

* * *

Out on the darkened road, a young teenager on motorcycle raced down the street as he desperately needed to get to his destination. His focus so much on the mission at hand that he jumped slightly when he felt his phone vibrating. There was only one other person who had his number, so he picked up.

"You promised me…" Bitterness could be heard in the boy's voice.

"Lucky, I'm sorry I…"

"You told me he was safe, you promised to look after him. You lied."

"I tried to…"

"Not good enough." The boy shouted in anger, "You failed. I'm gonna take care of it from now on."

"What are you…"

The sentence barely even began before the boy cut it off with the final words, "Goodbye Orion."

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

**Translations:**

_Qapla' _– Klingon for goodbye

_loDnl'_ – Klingon for brother

Did you like it? Hate it? Think more Klingon? What connection does this boy have to Orion? What trouble will he bring? In fact, why is he even in the story? To find out, please review!!


	3. Secrets Revealed

**DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN CHUCK CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OWN!**

**TITLE:** Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking

**SUMMARY:** Who knew? Bryce Larkin's death was only the beginning of things to come…

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thanks for those who reviewed! I hope to see more as the story progresses! Things are starting to heat up soon and who this boy is and what secrets he's hiding will soon be revealed!

* * *

Blue eyes peeked out from the side of the building that held the new Intersect. Blue eyes intensely watched the proceedings of a clean-up team moving a body onto a black van. The body was Bryce Larkin. The blue eyes belonged to a young teenage boy hiding as he watched what was going on. He didn't move in fear that someone would see him. He had ditched his motorcycle at the gates so that no one would hear the sounds of the engine. He had made sure he avoided the security cameras placed throughout the complex. And now his eyes narrowed as he set them on the clean-up team.

Moving a little closer, the teen managed to pick up the conversation between the clean-up team.

"Just inject him and get it over with…"

"Is he even alive?"

"Look you idiot, just do it and we can get our money."

"Yeah Ray, listen to him. Just do it. Bossman said we keep the guy on ice, they take care of the rest. Simple."

"Fine!"

The teenager watched as the man called Ray take out a syringe and inject whatever it was inside into Bryce Larkin's body, seconds later, he was sure he saw the body twitch. But before he could be sure, the men pushed the gurney into further into the back of the van and was ready to move out. The young teen knew that this would be his only chance.

Taking in a deep breath as he pulled out a gun, the kid wasted no time as he swiftly moved out from his hiding place, aimed his weapon at the men near the van, and open fired.

The reaction was immediate. One of the men raced to the driver's seat and started the engine while three other men turned to the direction of gunfire and fired back.

The boy rolled to the ground to avoid the bullets wheezing past his head, came back up and kept on shooting, intent on getting to the van. The three shooters stopped their firing and quickly got inside the van as the teenager fired shot after shot but could do nothing as the van started moving and made a quick get away.

Frustrated at his failure to stop the van, the young man slammed his fist against a near-by wall angrily.

Suddenly sirens blared loudly as he heard loudspeakers announcing the arrival of tactical teams. Realizing he was in trouble, the boy raced back to the gate where he had left his motorcycle and got back on. He knew he had made a promise, but right now, he had another matter to take care of.

Assured of his resolve, the boy pushed the bike to the limit as he raced away from the building, eyes barely catching a glimpse of three familiar figures just coming out of a side door. He knew who they were. Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker, and John Casey. And he had a feeling that he would see them again very soon.

* * *

Stephen Bartowski should have known things would go to hell in a handbasket the moment he flashed on the agent who came to pick up Bryce. But it wasn't until the biometric sensors indicated that Bryce had flatlined and the connection was broken did he realize just how bad things were going to get.

He knew calling the boy wasn't going to help. The kid was too much like Bryce, once set on a mission, then it's nearly impossible to stop him from achieving his goals. They both shared that sense of determination, always going after what they want. He knew the boy would take the news hard, Bryce Larkin had meant everything to him.

The elder Bartowski knew his only hope now would be to contact Chuck and his two handlers, they may be the only ones who can find the wayward teenager.

* * *

Chuck sat numbly at a chair inside Orange-Orange. After the fiasco of a rescue mission that ended in Bryce's death and him uploading the Intersect again, the strange firefight that had ended with what looked like a kid on motorcycle speeding away, and the dismal debrief that left him currently sitting here with a very unhappy looking John Casey while Sarah requested to speak to Beckman in private, let's just say that Chuck Bartowski was not having a good day. In fact, this was probably one of the worst days of his entire life, ranking pretty high between getting kicked out of Stanford and Dad leaving him behind when he was young.

"Beckman wants you two down here."

Chuck's head snapped up at the sound of Sarah's voice and made to follow Casey back down to Castle again. He wanted to say something to Sarah, but he wasn't sure if she even wants to hear anything. Last time she had refused to talk about Bryce, he doubt she's changed her mind this time. Besides, what more could they say to each other that the other didn't already know?

Getting into the command center, Chuck looked up at the screen into the face of General Beckman, she most certainly did not look happy, but then again, she never did look happy to Chuck, always had that stern look about her, although this time, Chuck detected something more beneath the surface.

Once the trio had settled into the room, Beckman began speaking.

"I'm sure all of you still remember the appearance of what seems to be a young boy at the Intersect location." As Beckman spoke, images and video footage showed the boy speeding away on a motorbike and the boy exchanging gun fire with the clean up team. "The clean up team has reported in that they had reached their destination safely, but it would seem that the boy has disappeared from our detection."

"Do we know who he is?" Casey's ruff voice asked.

"The boy did not match anyone in our database…"

"That's because he wouldn't be in a database…"

Heads turned at the appearance of Stephen Bartowski, even Beckman was surprised.

"Dad?" Chuck was shocked at seeing his father inside Castle, "How did you…"

"More to the point, what do you know about the boy?" Sarah cut in before Chuck could finish his sentence.

"His name is Lucas Deacon Lavery, son of Deacon and Morena Lavery…" Stephen spoke, finally letting out the secret he had carried for years, but he knew the next words would effect this team even more, "That boy…is Bryce's nephew…"

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

Big secret revealed! So now we know who the boy is…what happens from now on? Will Team Bartowski be sent after the boy? What's the boy's history with Chuck's Dad? And just what trouble still lay ahead for our heroes?

Please please review! And more secrets will come!


	4. Past Collision

**DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN CHUCK CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OWN!**

**TITLE:** Chuck Versus Dead Man Walking

**SUMMARY:** Who knew? Bryce Larkin's death was only the beginning of things to come…

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thanks for those who reviewed!! I appreciate it so much!! You guys are what keeps me going! Now we get to hear Orion's story of what he knows about the boy! And maybe even a glimpse of the past. Now we're venturing into a little AU territory, I had to make up some stuff about the characters' pasts. Hopefully it isn't too outlandish! And I am so happy to finally finding the perfect song to describe Bryce and the boy Lucky's relationship, it's a song called "Terrified" by Story of the Year. Somehow the lyrics resonated with me. I plan to make a video soon about Bryce and Lucky with that song.

* * *

Four sets of eyes stared at one Stephen Bartowski in stunned amazement before bursting into speech simulaneously, although for different reasons.

"Bryce has a nephew!?"

"Lavery!?"

"But they're dead!"

"This isn't possible!"

The elder Bartowski sighed and shook his head, he knew telling the truth would only bring out more questions than answers. Bryce had kept his secrets well, no one, not even someone as high up as Beckman, knew of Bryce's familial relationships. But Stephen knew that if there was any hope of finding the boy and keeping to a promise he had made to Bryce nearly 5 years ago, the truth had to be told.

"Perhaps you should explain Mr. Bartowski." Beckman had spoke with clear disapproval in her voice at the turn of events, "I was informed that the Laverys had died in an ambush at the family ranch more than 7 years ago and no one survived. How is that boy alive and how did Agent Larkin have any relations to that family?"

"Woah wait, who are the Laverys?" Chuck spoke up, "You guys make them sound all mysterious and important."

"They were a legendary CIA couple, Chuck." Sarah answered, she knew the story, she knew the fame they had, hell, all of the agencies, even Casey knew the story, "Deacon and Morena Lavery were two of the CIA's best agents, they were unstoppable. Then they got married and had a son, Lucas. Then 7 years ago there was an attack at the family ranch. There were no survivors. Everyone believed that the whole family had perished."

"So what does this have to do with Bryce?" Chuck looked around at the faces of everyone else in confusion.

Soon all the heads turned to Stephen Bartowski once again. Seeing the questions reflected in the eyes of Beckman, Casey, Sarah, and his own son, Stephen took a deep breath before launching into the complicated tale that Bryce had told him when they first had met on that dark and dangerous night more than 5 years ago.

* * *

_**Las Vegas- October 2004**_

_Two figures raced through the crowded street, trying to keep a distance between themselves and a group of 5 armed men chasing not so far behind. Dodging through the crowd was easier said than done, especially when you're holding onto the hand of a young boy, as a 23 year old Bryce Larkin had soon found out._

"_Come on Lucky, you can do it. Just a little bit more!" Bryce tried to cheer on the young 10 year old who was racing hard to keep up with him. "That's it kiddo, just a bit more."_

_Bryce hated this, the running, the chasing, always having to look over your shoulder, never knowing when things would go wrong. This was no way to live life, and this was no life for a little kid who should worry more about learning school work than some evil gunmen. Bryce had made a promise to his older brother that he would take care of Lucky, make sure no harm comes to the boy, and right now, he felt like he was letting his brother down. He had gotten deep into the spy business in hopes that Lucky would never have to, yet in the end all that good it did him was to drag Lucky further more into a world he didn't belong in. He had adopted a cold and hardened facade to prevent anyone finding out his familial ties, hell, even his partner Sarah Walker knew nothing of his nephew. Luckily he had a week's vacation time, or else he'd have to explain to Sarah what just happened. He had joined the CIA to keep innocents like Lucky safe, yet somehow Bryce couldn't help but notice that his plans to help people only seem to create more problems. _

_Take Chuck Bartowski for example. Chuck was Bryce's best friend at Stanford, probably his only true friend other than the family he had with his older brother Deacon. Yet Bryce had been forced to give all that up in order to protect Chuck from the CIA. He knew the cheating and the expulsion hurt Chuck, but there was no other way. Bryce had panicked when he heard Chuck was on the CIA recruitment list, and after seeing the destruction and death it had brought his own brother and sister-in-law, and the still fresh scars of trauma on little Lucas, Bryce had swore he would stop anything like that from happening again. There were a few times when he thought he would falter in his mission, but then he remembered the lifeless eyes of Deacon and Morena, and the desperate cries of Lucky, then his resolve would harden. He couldn't let that come to pass for sweet and gentle Chuck. Not to Chuck, not to Ellie, not to the Bartowski family who had been nothing more than loving and welcoming to him. He owed them that much to keep them safe. And if it meant that Chuck and Ellie would hate his guts for the rest of his life but they would be safe, then Bryce Larkin could take that. He would gladly take on the role of the villain if it meant Chuck and Ellie Bartowski could live on and change the world for the better. After all, he didn't know anyone better than the Bartowski siblings._

_His train of thought was rudely interrupted as Bryce felt bullets wheezing past him, eliciting the screams from the crowd on the street who had in turn ran for their own lives, clearly the gunmen had started to catch up. Knowing Lucky had already been running as fast as his litle legs could carry him, Bryce picked up the young boy, held him securely in his arms, and willed his own legs to go faster. He wasn't about to let his nephew die because of his own stupidity._

_But a second later his left leg suddenly gave out as pain rippled through him, sending him crashing to the ground with Lucky still in his arms. _

"_Bryce!" He heard Lucky's shout of concern. He knew he needed to get up from the ground, but he felt paralyzed where he laid, the damn bullet most likely hit an artery. He knew he was losing blood fast, he could already feel his vision getting fuzzy. He tried to get up but to no avail. He could feel Lucky struggling in his arms, he could hear shouting and screaming, but most of all, Bryce Larkin could hear his brother's voice shouting at him, blaming him for letting Lucky die. That was all he heard before he blacked out._

* * *

_Lucas Deacon Lavery, or known to family and friends as Lucky, was most certainly not a scaredy-cat. You didn't get to have Deacon and Morena Lavery as your parents and be frightened in a fire-fight. Lucky had learned from an early age that being calm was a life-saving skill, as long as you have your wits about you and you can think clearly, then survival was highly probable. Another thing was do as you're told._

_So when Uncle Bryce had shouted for him to run, Lucky took off at lightening speed. Well, it seemed like lightening speed to him. But then again, he was a short 10 year old after all. When his Uncle Bryce picked him up, Lucky had a bad feeling that things were going sour real fast, and when Bryce crashed to the ground, he knew they were really screwed._

_Lucky had never been a big fan of guns, they were the instruments that took away his mom and dad's lives right in front of his eyes, but he knew the value of knowing how to use one. Grabbing Uncle Bryce's gun, Lucky took a deep breath and fired in the direction of the gunmen. He was surprised to see his shot finding the correct target as one gunmen went down in a cry of pain, but there were still four more to go and they were closing in fast. Not to mention Uncle Bryce was bleeding out right beside him._

_But before Lucky could do anything else, the four gunmen dropped where they stood, and an older-looking man holding what looked like a tranq gun was walking towards Lucky and his uncle._

"_Come on kid, let's get you two to a safe place." The man said as he hauled Bryce over his shoulders and headed down a dark alley._

_Lucky blinked in surprise before following quickly behind, it wasn't like he had any other choice._

* * *

_Stephen Bartowski didn't believe in fate, but then again, how would he explain finding exactly the man he was looking for just as the man was looking for him?_

_His dark eyes followed the racing pair as they ran, chased by 5 gunmen. Stephen almost winced when he saw the older one of the two fall and was surprised to see the little one standing up calmly and fire a kill shot at one gunmen. He figured right then it was his time to step in. Making sure he wasn't seen, Stephen fired off four quick rounds from his tranq gun and watched with grim satisfaction as the remaining four gunmen drop._

_Running across the street to where the boy stood in shock and the other lying motionless on the ground, Stephen didn't hesitate as he put the unconscious one over his shoulder and led the young one into his hidden chambers._

_As they went inside the secret base, Stephen quickly laid the unconscious young man that he had now surmised was Bryce Larkin on a medical gurney that he had kept for emergency purposes and busied himself with treating the wounds._

"_Is he gonna be okay?"_

_Stephen nearly jumped out of his skin hearing the small voice suddenly appearing beside him, he had almost forgotten the presence of the kid._

"_It's pretty bad but I'll fix it." He tried to reassure the small boy._

"_You're Orion aren't you."_

_It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Where did Larkin find such a smart kid?_

"_How do you know I'm not some evil bad guy?"_

"_Well…" The kid's brow furrowed a bit as he went into thinking mode, "You're not shooting at us. That's nice. And you're trying to help Uncle Bryce." Nodding his head as if that alone decided everything._

_Stephen chuckled, clearly nothing was getting past this kid._

"_What's your name, kid?"_

"_Lucas, you can call me Lucky."_

"_Well Lucky, why don't you explain to me how you and your Uncle Bryce ended up here…"_

* * *

_The first thing that greeted Bryce Larkin as he surfaced to consciousness was the smell of antiseptics. His brain was still a bit woozy as he tried to piece together what happened to lead him in this position. And when the images assaulted him. his eyes opened in fright and he tried to get up, which was clearly a bad move as sharp pain coursed through him._

"_Uncle Bryce! It's okay! You're safe!"_

_Bryce heard the definitely recognizable tone of his nephew and the signature small hands on his shoulder. _

_Identical blue eyes locked gazes as Bryce finally calmed down and with Lucky's help, laid back down._

"_You okay buddy?" Bryce asked worriedly._

"_I'm fine." Lucky had flashed a brilliant smile before continuing on, "You however on the other hand, was not so lucky."_

_Eyes narrowing, Bryce swatted the gigling ten year old on the back of the head, "You were just waiting for that one weren't you." Lucky merely shrugged as Bryce took the moment to look at his surroundings, "Where are we?"_

"_You're with me…"_

_Bryce's sharp blue eyes locked onto a man with dark hair and rumpled clothing, but nonetheless Bryce recognized who it was. If someone were to take a picture, Bryce's jaw probably looked like it dropped to the floor, "Orion…" Shock didn't even began to describe his feelings. Apparently his stupidity and desperation had hit all the right notes, they had found the infamous Orion._

_Bryce watched the older man give a look at Lucky which caused the kid to roll his eyes and sigh dramatically, "Fine fine, go have your adult talk. I'll just go amuse myself in the kitchen and try not to be killed by murderous kitchen knives." With that, the young boy left the room, leaving Bryce and Orion alone._

"_You're a hard man to find Orion. Took me a long time." Bryce had to admit, finding the Orion hasn't been easy, what with his missions and everything else he had to do, there left little time for his search of the elusive man._

"_I'll give you points for determination, Agent Larkin." Orion chuckled, "Not many have gotten this far." Looking towards the kitchen, Orion remarked, "Smart kid you got there. You kept him well hidden, he doesn't even show up in the database."_

_Bryce could almost feel himself shutting down at the mention of the secrecy of Lucky's existence. And obviously Orion had picked up the vibes because the older man spoke again, "So I'm guessing no one knows he's alive? What is he? Some national treasure?"_

"_My nephew…" Bryce grudgingly admitted, besides, Lucky had already called him Uncle, "It's complicated…"_

"_Clearly, seeing as how a lot of effort was made to keep him a secret…" Bryce watched as Orion seems to go into thought for a few seconds before speaking again, "Alright Bryce, I'll make you a deal. I tell you a secret, reveal who I am, and you tell me what's going on here. How about that?"_

_Bryce stopped for a second, he couldn't even believe Orion was freely offering such a choice, but then again, it meant trusting the older man with Lucky's secret, although it was kind of a moot point seeing as how he now knows that Lucky exists._

"_Alright…I can take that deal…" Bryce answered cautiously, he would go along with this, at least for now._

"_You should be proud, I asked the kid what was going on, he wouldn't say, said we had to wait for you." Bryce could hear a slight tinge of admiration in Orion's voice._

_Well, it wasn't like Bryce himself wasn't proud either, Lucky was smart like that, the kid always knew what to do. It was times like this that Bryce was glad his brother and sister-in-law were the best of the best in the CIA, they had instilled in their son a sense of sharp wit, confidence, and incredible calmness in the face of fire._

_Looking back up at Orion with a questioning gaze, Bryce spoke, "So…I believe you said something about secrets."_

_Orion gave a nod before he sat down in a chair, "You may have wondered why I checked on you, or why I was even interested in contacting you. But there is a project I am involved with and I have no one I can trust…except you."_

"_Me?" Bryce was confused, Orion trusted him? Why?_

"_Yes Bryce. You." Orion answered, "You kept Chuck Bartowski from being taken in for the Omaha Project did you not?"_

_Bryce could only nod at this point, intrigued by where it was going._

"_Charles is my son."_

"_WHAT?!?"_

_As if Bryce's jaw couldn't drop any lower, he felt like someone had sucker punched him too. Chuck's Dad was Orion? How did that even happen?_

_And suddenly it was as if everything Chuck had told him about his childhood had now made sense. Chuck's Dad disappearing one day and never coming back. Chuck's own brilliance with technology. It was all there, it all made sense. And Orion trusting him because Bryce had protected Chuck at Stanford._

"_Wow, okay…not what I was expecting…" Bryce was still reeling from shock. It was hard to believe that he had been that close to Orion's identity all these years. Chuck's Dad…it was still kind of hard to believe true. _

_Now though, he had to keep up his end of the bargain, "Lucky is the son of Deacon and Morena Lavery." Bryce noticed the surprise on Orion's face, but he kept continuing on, "Deacon's my older brother, well, half brother technically. My mother had separated from Deke's dad when he was 6, she got married to my father and then had me a year later. It wasn't exactly a fairy tale marriage. They always argued, about everything. About money, about me and even sometimes Deke's visitation. I hated it all, but I was lucky to have Deke with me. He distracted me from all the stuff that was going on. Mom and Dad had a nasty divorce when I was 7. They never got along after that. Years later Deke graduated Stanford at the top of his class. When he went into the CIA, he sailed through the ranks easily, best at everything he did, met Morena, partnered up with her and they were practically unstoppable. The CIA's super couple. Deke had enough pull with the higher-ups, he managed to get the Director to fix the DNA profiles so that no one would figure out his family connections, he made sure that no one would come after me. And secretly, we find places to meet and have little gatherings. When Lucky was born, Deke and Mori named me his godfather. Life and everything was great then. I went to Stanford in Deke's footsteps, met Chuck, all was well until the summer of junior year two years ago. I was at the family ranch, spending as much time with them as I could before school started. I had gone out to the cellar to get some more drinks when the house exploded in flames and I heard gunfire. By the time I got in there, the ambush team was gone, they never even knew I was there, Deke and Morena were already dead, bullet holes in them, and I heard Lucky screaming. He was hurt and trapped under a beam surrounded by fire. I managed to get him out and all I remember was telling myself to get to a safe place. The Director was the first person I went to. Graham owed Deke for saving his life and they were friends, he was the only other person I could trust with this. Together we faked Lucky's death, made sure no one knew that I was even there that day. I had a promise, I promised Deke that I would keep Lucky safe and away from this. It was bad enough that Lucky saw his parents die right in front of his eyes and nearly had a breakdown. I just couldn't bring him into this life. Of course, nothing I want ever works out."_

_Bryce felt ashamed, all his goals of protecting the people he cared about all backfired on him. In protecting Chuck, he had shattered his future and his confidence. In protecting Lucky, he had pulled him into the dirty world of spies. He looked up and saw the older man gazing at him thoughtfully._

"_You tried your best Bryce, I don't think your brother would blame you. We make some hard choices when protecting the people we love." Bryce knew the man spoke from experience as well, because Orion, or rather, Stephen Bartowski, had to walk out on his children just to protect them._

"_So what it is about this secret project of yours?" Bryce had been curious since learning about Orion's existence, the secret classified project he had been a part of had been incredibly interesting to Bryce. And when he got the secret message from Orion about it, it had made him intrigued even more._

"_Right…" Stephen Bartowski said somewhat hesistantly before continuing on, "It's a secret database of information…the Intersect…"_

* * *

**Present Time**

"It all makes sense now!"

Everyone had jumped at Chuck's sudden outburst.

"What Chuck? What makes sense?" Sarah questioned.

"That year, the year when Bryce was recruited. He was different. More serious and hard, there were times when I could tell something was bothering him, he just said family problems, nothing he couldn't take care of. But since then I just felt something was off with him til the day he got me kicked out." Chuck felt rather stupid for not seeing there was more to it than just family issues, why didn't he see Bryce had been grieving as well and trying to take care of a traumatized 8 year old.

"Charles, don't beat yourself up for this. Bryce knew how to mask his feelings, you could have never figured it out unless he wanted you to." Stephen Bartowski tried to console his son who was clearly effected by the events that was currently unfolding.

"So what do we do now?" Casey, ever the pragmatist, always ready for the job at hand.

"Well…" Beckman cleared her voice as she tried to appear professional once more, "Colonel Casey, Agent Walker, and Chuck. You three will try to find the boy, I'm sure Mr. Bartowski here can help you in that respect. And as for your training Chuck…" Stern eyes landed on the younger Bartowski, "It will be delayed until the boy is found. Good luck."

With that last word, General Beckman disappeared from the big screen. Chuck passed glances between Sarah and Casey before smiling sheepishly at his father, "So..umm…Dad…I guess you know I downloaded the Intersect again…"

The elder Bartowski didn't even flinch, "The thought crossed my mind…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

Wow, this is easily my longest chapter yet! And there it is folks! The long awaited history of Bryce, Lucky, and Orion, but fear not, there is more where that came from! Now that Team Bartowski is going after Lucky, what more trouble could be lurking around the corner? Will they find Lucky? What about Chuck's training? How will all this fit into the events of season 3? And will Daniel Shaw make an appearance? And what is this promise Lucky had made?

Please please review and the secrets will be revealed!!!


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